1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for attachment of a unit to attachment devices on a vehicle, in particular an aircraft, having attachment elements which are provided for connection to the attachment devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known from the general prior art for units which are intended to be fitted to attachment devices in a vehicle to be screwed on by means of attachment elements, or to be connected in some similar manner. For this purpose, the vehicles generally have attachment devices which are arranged at more or less regular intervals with respect to one another. The attachment devices may in this case, for example, be rails, and may be arranged in the floor area of the interior of the vehicle.
In aircraft, the attachment devices are normally attachment rails or seat rails. In this case, a large number of seat rails are provided, running essentially parallel to one another. Attachment elements which are in the form of seat rail fittings are used for attachment of aircraft seats. These seat rail fittings are specifically designed for connection to the seat rails, and are locked at the appropriate point in the seat rail, and are then screwed to the aircraft seat. In this case, in order to arrange it robustly, the seat is normally screwed to two seat rails running parallel to one another. The attachment points for the seats are in this case matched to the distance between the seat rails in the aircraft in which they are intended to be fitted. Since the distance between the seat rails is dependent on the aircraft type and on individual configuration wishes, no units which are not specifically matched to the seat rails of the respective aircraft or to the distance between them can be fitted to the seat rails or between two seat rails. Units which do not match the predetermined grid between the seat rails therefore often have to be fitted in the aircraft in an inadequate manner.
Particularly with regard to the arrangement of so-called hard disk stores or flight data recorders in an aircraft or in some other vehicle, the attachment is subject to particularly stringent requirements. Since data is stored in the hard disk store or flight data recorder during flight, it is essential that these units be connected robustly and reliably to the aircraft. This is particularly true when data from a digital camera is stored in the flight data recorder during a photographic flight by an aircraft. This data may, for example, be image data, supplementary data relating to the images, such as mission data, system information or information for post-processing. The flight data recorder is generally in the form of a bulk store for the “digitally mapping camera”.
Electrically and mechanically, every flight data recorder is an autonomous unit which is connected to the digital camera via an image data connection.
Once the flight data recorder has been mechanically connected to the aircraft, the necessary cables must be connected to the flight data recorder in a further process. After landing, the flight data recorder is removed, and the image data is copied to a ground-based bulk store.
The known flight data recorders have the disadvantage that they can be mechanically connected only inadequately to the aircraft. Furthermore, the flight data recorder is subject to corresponding loads, which have a negative effect on functionality, as a result of twisting and stressing that occurs during flight. A further disadvantage is that flight data recorders are used in different aircraft types, so that a suitable attachment solution must be looked for on each individual occasion. Since each of the aircraft types have different seat rail separation, the flight data recorder cannot be arranged on seat rails.
A further disadvantage is that it is often very difficult to connect the flight data recorder to the cables which continue onwards, owing to the confined spatial conditions in the aircraft. Incorrect connection of cables can in this case lead to a malfunction. In this case, it is also particularly important for the plug connections to be reliable, in particular to be resistant to vibration and impacts, since, otherwise, there is a risk of the connections accidentally becoming loose as a result of movements of the aircraft during flight.